1. Field of the Invention
A device for automatically closing railroad hopper car doors after the car has been unloaded through the hinged doors forming a portion of the bottom of conventional railroad hopper cars. A supporting frame structure is associated with the rails on which a series of hopper cars are rollingly supported together with power actuated devices that will pivot the hopper car doors from a generally vertical, downwardly extending position which exists after the hopper car has been unloaded for engaging the hopper car doors and pivoting them about their transversely extending supporting axis to a closed, latched position. The power devices include transversely extending support shafts with a pair of laterally extending arms rigid therewith with each arm including a roller at the outer end thereof for engaging the hopper car doors when the transverse shafts are pivoted. The transverse shafts are powered by hydraulically operated piston and cylinder assemblies connected to a laterally extending arm on one end portion of each shaft with activation devices being positioned in the path of movement of the hopper cars to activate the closer when the hopper car doors are in appropriate position for engagement by the rollers for movement of the hopper car doors to a closed, latched position.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known that closing hopper car doors after the hopper car has been unloaded by releasing the hopper car doors and permitting them to drop to a generally vertical position about a transverse hinge axis presents substantial problems. Frequently, the method used to close most hinged hopper car doors is to pry the door toward closed position with a metal bar as a lever member until it catches on a loose fitting latch. Also, manual movement by physical grasping or by movement with the foot is sometimes used. When a metal bar is used, the person using the bar must then reposition the bar in the lock mechanism where the bar is again used as a lever to apply sufficient force to the bar to secure the door to another latch or catch which holds the door in a tight fitting position. This procedure must be followed on both sides of the hopper car in order to close both doors. Prior efforts have been to provide mechanisms oriented alongside a railroad track to engage and close hopper car doors. The following U.S. Patents relate to this subject matter.
U.S. Pat. Nos.
1,876,637 PA1 2,686,478 PA1 3,227,100 PA1 3,314,558 PA1 3,606,043 PA1 3,872,796 PA1 4,120,412 PA1 4,329,106
The previously patented devices do not disclose an automatically activated unit responsive to positioning of the hopper car in relation to the closer and do not disclose a straddle arrangement in which multiple hopper car doors are simultaneously closed by engaging the outer or bottom surface of the hopper car doors and pivoting them about a transverse axis at their upper edges and swinging them into a closed position for engagement with a tight fitting catch or latch.